Many arrangements of coffee makers with and without integral coffee grinders are commercially available on the market. Such coffee makers utilize hot water to make coffee and as a consequence, generate quantities of steam. In particular, during a brew cycle, hot water is channeled into a filter unit holding a filter which, in turn, holds coffee. Steam is generated in the filter unit and often rises up and out of the coffee maker's casing. This escaping steam may result in physical injury, i.e., burns, to the user. Further, the escaping steam condenses on and around the coffee maker creating cleaning problems.
Another problem associated with a conventional coffee maker is the fact that, as a water reservoir is refilled with water and a heater is still active or hot, the water is heated by the heater and is suddenly discharged from the coffee maker. More specifically, in some circumstances, the heater remains active or hot after the brew cycle (i.e., the heater remains activated to keep coffee in a carafe warm or has not cooled down from a recent brew action). As water is poured into the water reservoir, the heater immediately heats the water and generates hot water and steam both of which are automatically channeled through the coffee maker. That is to say, the heater causes a brew action to start as the water reservoir is refilled. The resultant hot water and steam are suddenly discharged from the coffee maker and may result in injury to the user.
Accordingly, it is a fundamental object of the present invention to provide a coffee maker which collects and condenses steam generated during a brew cycle, thereby preventing steam from escaping the coffee maker.
It is a further object of the invention is to provide a coffee maker which has a safety valve for preventing the discharge of hot water and steam.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a coffee maker which has safety interlocks for preventing the discharge of hot water and steam.